Tuesday, March 31, 2009

A few confessions... a few admissions... chalta hai

I am not an fb fan. I just about tolerate the site. It was my publisher's idea - an excellent one - to have my presence on it when we launched 'Superstar India' a year ago. But Facebook is not for me. And my children agree. They don't want me on fb. So one of these days, I may disappear. My irregularity should have indicated my indifference. In case that was too subtle - I am spelling it out for everyone now. Watch the space - I'm gone! There! That's done.Oh.... I finally discovered SRK and I do have something in common after all - a rotary cuff. He prefers surgical solutions, I like mine to be non- intrusive. His shoulder is fixed. Mine is getting worse. Naazneen , an old friend and journo-colleague ( she's the person who does the Forbes' List out of India), came over this afternoon armed with various remedies - a rolling pin, some tape, a chinese herbal patch for pain, and a powerful gel. I was ordered to perform various tasks that involved my right arm. Naazneen was looking very grim and disapproving as I demonstrated the extent of the stiffness in the socket. '' This won't do, De," she pronounced firmly. The bad news is that my condition is likely to worsen if I don't get away from my lap top!! That's like telling me to stop breathing. But here comes the confession - I have to start work on a new project which involves hours and hours of concentrated writing. I HAVE TO CHOOSE.What do I do? I'll have to cut back on something. What?? The columns can't be dumped. Do I walk away from my beloved blog? "Yessss!" said Naazneen sternly. " Rest that arm... or else." If any of you have a better idea, keep those comments flying. I am willing to try anything..... even hypnosis.***********************************************************************************I watched the debate on Qasab ( whether or not he deserves to be defended) and felt it was going nowhere. On the other hand, the debate on Sanjay Dutt raised several interesting issues, with Abu Azmi insisting Sanjay was a ''gentleman and not a criminal," He also added Sanjay had committed a 'maamuli' offence. And asked, " Itne chhotisi galti ke liye itni badi sazaa?" I am speechless! Priya Dutt was more guarded in her response, while Sanjay himself risked a contempt of court notice with his irresponsible comments challenging the verdict that debars him from contesting the elections. From the looks of it, this is going to be India's bloodiest election. But one good thing has happened - people have been sufficiently galvanised to challenge the status quo and ask bold questions. For now, democracy itself faces no danger. But when my driver Choudhary mentions sadly that with all the talk of progress and development, his village in Bihar has no electricity and no road, I felt like hanging my head in shame. He pays Rs. 3000 as rent for a hole in the wall close to where I live. But, as he says with a resigned, wry laugh, at least he has electricity in that dump, and can watch tv. He blames Bihar's woes squarely on Lalu, and says India is currently in the grip of 'Goondas' and 'Maha Goondas.' Choudhary's prediction?? " There will be as many countries within India in the future as there are languages on our currency notes." Is Choudhary's other name Nostradamus??

One does not have to be a Notradamus to see what lies ahead of us. Your driver Choudhary's perdiction is the result of what he sees and hears in and around his surroundings. He may be reading too, and for all you know reading blogs. In one of your earlier posts you rightly indicated that we are on auto pilot for years, God knows who is incharge, who calls the shots, and how we survived.Yes there are plenty of good souls who are praying for the welfare of this Country and State, and are doing real good work and making a lot of sacrifices.How else could we survive?One has to read comments of some of these FL Bursts (we had one early on this site. Thankfully moved out)at the Indian Express, Times of India etc.to know what your driver is pointing out at.First of all their language is deplorable, and then most of them, comment on what happened 100 of years ago. How one community suffered at the hands of another and so forth. Why can't they think of the present and future. That this is my/our life we have to live now. Let us live in peace. Let us have a nice time, if not good time.We cannot change what happened in the past, but surely we can change what will happen in future, especially when it will affect each and everyone of us.Guess we do not like peace. We are not happy with our own selves. So we keep harping on and on on... of what happened in the past.To make matters worse we have leaders who are from the scum of the earth. These leaders only think of one thing, gaining POWER by HOOK OR BY CROOK, playing with the people's Religion and so on and so forth. They have no real love for the Country and the People. That is the reason we are in this state even after 60 yrs. and will be maybe even after a 100.We have to get the masses educated, inorder to see this change. We cannot afford to say Chalta Hai....Jai Hind. Jai Maharashtra.

Keep writing Shobhaa. You have to breathe to be able to have your arm fixed. Pls ask Nazneen to find an alternative medicine for you.

It's ok to be or not to be on FB. but beware of why your children want you out. Think over. may be you wanna revive your FB account..!

No children feel comfortable having their parents on FB, but I insist on being on FB.

The Kasab fiasco is being played out for the masses. Neither pakistan nor India care what happens to him. We all know the Pakistan government cannot do anything about terrorism. They are trapped themselves.

I agree with your driver on his comments of the current 'goonda raj' Lalu yadav or Amar singh all are "Ek hii kheth kii mooli". If it were not for Pakistan-our neighbours; who make us look good bcoz of their SuperTalibaan Raj, we would be looking like some horrible goonda country, as far as our goonda government is concerned. We have the Bhai raj, so eloquently and brilliantly portrayed by our Bollywood bhais & bahens that they call the shots in most of our elections. In fact our politicians themselves are the real bhais, so what can you expect from them.

anyways this was a fun read. Shobhaa do keep writing. That means you have to have your shoulder working. Come back with better news of your shoulder - herbal patch or SRK solution. Whatever works. good luck.

Oh no please no! If you disappear what will. So many of us do? There has to be a safer better option than FB use it please! Am relatively a newcomer to your blog but I can tell you one thing straight. I come home late exhausted get into my pyjamas grab my Blackberry read your blog. Its the best! But Shobhaa its finally your decision your happiness is No 1 that of your kids a close second. I for one will miss you sorely! God I'm addressing nothing else you wrote this for me is most important. Selfish maybe but that's me!

Oh no please no! If you disappear what will. So many of us do? There has to be a safer better option than FB use it please! Am relatively a newcomer to your blog but I can tell you one thing straight. I come home late exhausted get into my pyjamas grab my Blackberry read your blog. Its the best! But Shobhaa its finally your decision your happiness is No 1 that of your kids a close second. I for one will miss you sorely! God I'm addressing nothing else you wrote this for me is most important. Selfish maybe but that's me! Hey I volunteer to actually do your posting if you so choose, seriously I do! Will help your shoulder na?

Shobhaa, You must try Iyengar Yoga medical therapy. I honestly sware by it. Mr. Iyengar has created one of the most scientific forms of yoga, which includes therapeutic yoga. If you want to stay away from surgery, you must give this a try. Mr. Iyengar is based in Pune on the beautiful holistic Hanuman Mandir Road in Shivaji Nagar, but there are several institutes in Mumbai, including on in Lower Parel and one in Bandra, run by Jawahar Banga, who is a very senior teacher and disciple of Guruji.

I will connect you with the best of the best. My personal yoga teacher here in Portland, Oregon is from Mumbai and she did medical therapy.More in a personal email to you.

I have met so many people over the last 3 years since I started doing Iyengar yoga who have found relief from many different forms of such physical problems, aches and pains. I am serious our 3000 year old tradition of yoga offers more than you can ever imagine. I am a living breathing example of it.

I tried to send following on Amitabh Bachhan's blog...But guess what happened...Moderator babu has decided that it's not allowed to criticize our beloved leader.

This is what I tried to sent on getting the 5th award in his family.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<Dear AB, You should be proud of first 4 awards...Just don't understand how does the latest one fits in. You all know the wave of cheap heriones who have joined the bollywood bandwagon in last decade. May be it's the best of the worst award this time when I look at the two individuals Akshaya and Aishwarya ...something similar to our political system.

Hope I am not making life tough for you. I have great regard for your work when you were young. Those were the days when there was no filthy, stupid media like NDTV, StarNews and others. The commercialization of news in these days which is not only biased but also lacks ethics of journalism.

Prannoy Roy who himself is a sensible reporter and if he happens to be the head at NDTV then I don't know why he has ALLOWED the commercialization of news. Just so that you are aware there is not a single mention of who else has won the award other than those in bollywood. Your daughter in law also got interviewed...rest of them not even mentioned in the NDTV news...If that makes you proud about NDTV then I am speechless.

I don't know if you have a lack of understanding or you need to be politically correct. But when you praise someone your judgement is wrong... I will just say it makes you LITTLE in the eyes of world. So please be careful who do you praise.

I too watched the Qasab debate on NDTV. And it surprises me that even respected lawyers have got it so WRONG. The approach of the government should be following.

There should be a trial and he should be given a public defense lawyer. But since this is a case of terrorism the trial should be similar to military trial where the trial should finish within 3 months. The world's greatest democracy USA follow similar pattern.

This will put to rest both arguments. This will be a fair trial with a public lawyer representing Qasabr and also provide fast outcome so that people like Shiv Sena DO NOT go and act like a mob.

THIS MAY REQUIRE CHANGE TO THE CONSTITUATION...BUT GREAT DEMOCRACIES HAVE EXECUTIVE POWERS TO MAKE SOMETHING A LAW WITHIN 3 DAYS.

What our respected lawyers don't know that every year on average 200 people are executed in USA on criminal charges. And the cases of terrorists are handled in military tribunals. That kind of judiciary sends a STRONG SIGNAL to terrorists as well as to rest of the world that judiciary is strong.

Dragging a case for 5 years creates an IMAGE OFSOFT STATE AND THIS HAS BEEN PROVED REPEATEDLY BY TERRORISTS...

I am sorry about your arm Ms.De and I think not blogging is not going to be a permanent solution for your arm.

I would suggest Isha Yoga. I have seen it work wonders with my own father. My father had severe back problems that did not allow him to sit at one place for more than 15 min and also suffered from insomnia. He took the classes and has been regularly practicing for about 4 years now and he says that he is now as good as new.

I myself attended the program but being the lazy bones of the family i never did try to keep doing the exercise that i was taught regularly.

I suggest that you visit the the web page - http://www.ishafoundation.org/And take your shoulder seriously and attend the yoga program.

I think that the yoga guys conduct classes all over India though the institution is based in Coimbatore, South India.

The yoga is simple and doable and though they always dish out a lot of advice during these yoga classes(which almost got to my nerves), I think that its worth giving a try because this yoga when done regularly for two months gives results(I have seen the results on my father). And the yoga procedure needs only about 15 - 20 minutes everyday.

Do call the number given in the web page for more details.

And keep blogging. I love your candid blogs(though i have started reading recently only). So I insist on this thing once more. Take you shoulder seriously and do something about it(Trust me - Try Isha Yoga).

I myself do not find FB worthwhile and I think having a profile in it doesnt make a difference (atleast for me) but anyways thats for you decide.

And I believe every country's politics has its holes and moles and our's being an exhibitionist democracy that we are, our flaws are easily seen through.

Am I supporting our system. NO.... All I am saying is people are more aware about politics today than before 2 or 3 decades though awareness in what way is left to the people(like your driver - aware of the goondas in politics)

But I believe that when people complain, they actually try to justify themselves for not doing anything about it.

Quit complaining if you are not ready to go out there during the election day and vote for a good candidate.

It is actually sad tat u have to go easy on ur writing.. but.. as they say.. health comes first.. But my brain is selfishly filled with a big loud "OH NOOOOOOOO... PLEASEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!"

feather touch keyboards? are there any? better hand poisitiong with a suppor perhaps? also i hear Manish Malhotra makes the most isshhthylishslings in d world (Courtesy: King Khan).. any exquisite personalised creation.. :D.. lol..Come on.. a weak arm and you just dont go together at all!!All my silly attempts at joking apart, Wish u a speedy recovery ma'm.. :-)And wish u years and years of fun and power packed writing ahead!!

a day without your blog is like day with less O2.. never leave the blog.. beloved blog..there is a solution for every problem ..but leaving the blog??? Wish you a good health ... Keep bloggingHAPPYBLOGGING!

3.Sanjay Dutt does not deserve to be on the electorals...gimme a dam break....

4.Qasab needs to be hanged..i dont know why they are delaying this whole process..In India its a case of justice delayed is justice denied..gimme a good reason why he needs to be defended...am for human rights and all..but this is rubbish

I enjoy reading your articles in the Week Mrs De. And I've also been following your blog for some time now. I'm a big fan of your writing. :)With regards to your last post and the comments of your driver, I'm surprised you had nothing to say back. We are a nation of cynics. We wallow in self-pity and enjoy degrading ourselves. And this negativity affects the way we look at life and our country. This is not the truth. In these last 60 years we have made progress in each and every sphere including Women's lib and in eradicating poverty. We will continue to do so. The pace may not be to every1's liking. But I have no doubt we will get there. We need to believe in ourselves. Now is not the time for cynicism, especially with elections around the corner. It's time to regain optimism. It's time to shape the future.

This country is a microcosm of the planet.... too much diversity!... also the fact that if the earth had been 1 degree here or there - life would not exist. The same story here - one lil change in history here or there and this country would not exist.i think we'll do fine....

NO ways. NO you should NOT stop blogging. And you are a part of us. You cant leave us this way. NAHII KABHI NAHI.

I empathize with your shoulder... But will sit in a dharna outside your home if you even think of quitting from blogs.

I have an idea. Hire a nice secy na... who can be with you and type for you... you can just proof read it before s/he publishes to the blog. Just log in and ask her/him to type.

Your new project will be wonderful and you will find the time for everything. Thats what you are na- ekdamich "Versatile". Pls pls pls dont go away. We love you BlogDost.

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It is not whether Qasab needs to be defended or not... thats not the question. We need people to be matured and respect the law of teh land. Did the shivsainiks believe that any lawyer would be able to "SAVE" qasab? What he did was open and he has no way to escape. Had the trial begun, there would be a judgment about his fate. And a lot of OUR money spent in "securing" him would have been saved.

Is it that easy? You can barge into anyones house and threaten them? India is a democracy, Atleast thats what I learnt from Class 4-5. (I sincerely hope the protesters have atleast gone to primary school)

*******************************It seems we want our country in pieces, we dont want our country in peace.

Choudhary is right.The recent debate that I saw oon CNN IBN was some netas are not comfortable exposing their parties Bank balances and investments... because the Donor has the right to keep it private. Right! we believe you Mr. Politician. You are JUST keeping it private to protect the DONORs Identity.

Hi Maa'm, I am sorry to hear about your arm, I would suggest you to take rest, typing further will not help, ofcourse we will miss your blog.

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You could use a speech to text conversion software. I browsed some on the internet here are the links, hope you can check them outhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_to_textlook under Commercial software/middleware in above link

Reg fb...i wasnt comfy with it, dunno why...so de-activated recently, not planning to go back.So ur decision to do the same is understood. Thers something abt it that makes a lot of ppl uncomfy.

Reg ur shoulder, u gotta do something...yoga, medicines, whatever..!! But something, cos it wd become tough when u grow older !! At the same time it wd be a lil hard for us to go without reading ur blog on a daily basis. But thats life, nothing is permanent, and hopefully u wd be back soon..!! Or u cd ask someone else to type for u...u dictate and he/she types !! simple..!!

Reg Sanju Baba, yes what he did was wrong, but he cannot be hanged for it forever. Plus he seems like a decent guy, and much better then 90% of the politicians we have. Cos there are ppl in power who have organised cold blooded mass murder and running for elections again. They will be elected too.Will they ever pay for their crimes?? Never !!! So dont go on and on after Sanju !!

Reg Qasab, the b.....d, shd be tortured, slowly, a lil every day, kill him a thousand times and then some more. No debates on that !!!

U mentioned in one of ur previous blogs that Mumbai is on Auto-Pilot. So is India. God bless HER !!! JAI HIND !!!

About the shoulder, Try one Dr David Rajan (coimbatore)...he specializes in arthroscopy which has a very short recovery period as compared to surgery. think he comes to chennai once a week. Is a definite miracle worker.

I closed my facebook account long ago too and i suspect am held in awe because of that...it was too messy and i had more or less the same friends i had in orkut! BTW, totally enjoy your blog :)

Is that a case of "frozen shoulder?" From what I know, this read like a common problem in those living their glorious innings :)

Anyways, take care.

On the blogging front here's what I was thinking. As an alternative, you may consider moving from 24/7 bloggertage to (at least) once a week HARD TALK blogging. That way, your blogdosts won't be deprived.

Dear capricorn,Take care of your health being a 7 person(your date of birth 7th january) physically you must not strain yourself ...go by your intution you will not go wrong..have lotus blossoms and water lillies around you it never fails to lift the spirit. try itI wil pray for u.warm regards.

Hi sweet heart,I wonder why you have taken off the option that allows Names & URLs. Hopefully it has nothing to do with my comments. I am prompted to ask you this as recently I got to read your article on 'Blogging..in some Mumbai newspaper. Well, I found the copy of the article in Big B's blog and you've stated that some comments are vile and abusive. Reading it, I could only think you're a real sweet heart.Coming to what I want to say, take a comfortable position to write out whatever you have to in sheets of paper. You can employ someone to get it typed. that can help you dispense with your laptop.

Shobhaa De...A very sexy name and a very sexy figure as well.....When i look at you i see a desperate angry cat...one who has not had a good decent fuck for a long long time....And all the sexual anger vomits its way out........Tell me how can i help you......How can i fulfill your every increasing desire....your longing for intimacy..Believe me you will function normal after a good time in bed. All your sarcasm, negativity and gossip instincts will be washed away in a flood of desire.Will you allow me to help you horny lady???

The Husband uses speech to type software to write emails and reports and pretty much all his work. It works great for him. Perhaps it will for you too. The only problem they say is that the Indian accent is not captured well on some of the software. Obviously that is not a problem for him and I am sure most people are able to work out the kinks.

Rolling pins and advice from well meaning friends aside, please dont neglect to see a proper doctor for diagnosis and help or physiotherapy. I am sure Ayurveda and Yoga can definately help in conjunction with regular medicine. Also, surgery is not all bad you know. I am very optimistic about state of the art medicine.

FB is fun for me. I have been reconnected with people I had not met in decades. It is also a timesaver for me to disseminate information enmasse.

About blogging, I would be sad if you did not. I like the way you write when you blog, and it is a very different flavor from your columns. Reading your blog makes me think! Thats important.

As for the perceived hopelessness of the Indian situation, I agree with one of the commentors above that India has made strides. Very, very slowly but the country has advanced in the ideals of democracy and a slightly more equitable economy. Not much, not fast, but there has been a change from the "bad old" days. If we cannot envision a bright future, how will we be able to forge a path there. Its not all bad!

Ofcourse Kasab should be given a trial. He should be given a lawyer and he should be allowed due process as long as classified information or sources are not revealed. The situation at hand and he, need an open trail as much as possible. Let this be a lesson in democracy to those who may harm us. It is not so much for India as it is for Pakistan. A trial for Kasab is for the benefit of slapping the Pakistani establishment in the face more than for the Indian public venting its rage. If the latter were the case, Kasab would have been publicly hanged in a football stadium full of howling citizens. We are better than that, are we not? Are we? I mean really, are we?

I also registered on Facebook, but hardly ever use it. I prefer emails and instant messaging to interact with friends and family, besides blogging for...er...self-expression.

It seems that the Shiv Sena loves Ajmal Aamir Qasab and wants to protect him. Otherwise, why wouldn't it let his case go to trial by ensuring that he doesn't get a lawyer?

BTW, Sanjay Dutt has been convicted under the Arms Act for illegal possession of a gun,from which he is reported to never have fired even a single shot.

He is supposed to have said that he acquired the gun for self-defence after he and his family were threatened by Hindu fanatics, on account of his father having done relief work for Muslim victims of communal riots in Bombay.

As for the seriousness of his offence, it appears to pale against those like multiple murders, abductions, leading murderous mobs that hacked and burned hundreds of innocent people alive, having hoarded currency notes by the trunkload, having received kick-backs worth hundreds of crores of rupees that other politicians have been accused of. However, he has been convicted of his offence while the others have not been or have been acquitted despite their guilt being an 'open secret'. So, he can't contest elections, while the others can not only contest and win, but also become ministers in the central and various state governments.

It is small fry like Sanjay Dutt who are made an example of while the Sharks continue to swim unchallenged in India's political waters.

Take rest, Shobhaa! Health comes first and I well understand the importance of rest after getting a near scare of CTS in my right hand wrist! Thankfully, we get to read you in newspapers and magazies too, though, we will miss your posts here.

Try some exercises or anything that gives you long-term relief and get back on this space as fit as a fiddle :)

I think your hand/shoulder pain definitely needs good rest & little therapy. Acu pressure or a massage ( usually works for me well)should work you thru to give good comfort. If it really doesn't work my advise is to go for proper medical checkup with xray and stuff to make sure things are not too bad.

I think 60 years post independence we as people of India are to be blamed to create and political situation what we see in our country. Although we have started awakening in pockets of the country.. extremism against each other's religion is also growing in other pockets of the country due to the evil minds of politician and who are purely power hungry.

It is high time for our country to realise our own potential of getting our nation on the forefront of development where we all forget our differences & work towards a single goal & that should be betterment of life for people of this country. Let's atleast give the basic amenities across the country for all and then decide on castes, religions, regions.. I stay out of India & during these recent times realise how things turn out when it comes to protectionism - due to the simple fact of survival..1st comes own country men then other countries but one shouldn't forget in today's world no single country can survive on its own. This holds true for states within India..we all know where Mr. Chowdhary's remarks come from specially in Maharashtra where in the past 6-8 months we have had situations of people from northern states being asked to leave the state.. well if tomorrow all of the countries decide to do the same for all Indians abroad we know what's going to happen..

So hope we can have 80-90% people turn out at the elections & people make a firm decision on who needs to lead the country and give a stable government for next 5 years at least & make sure the ruling party is made accountable for their deliverables.

You would't be happy at all if you stop writing or blogging..that's your life..some have suggested voice recognition softwares but until that works out how about a typist or a family member who could type for you until you give your arm some rest..Health comes first so Take care..hope you'll recover soon!

hey, ur blog is my newspaper! definately more informing than those daily ones we read with tea. reduce the frequency and maybe type with ur left hand only... if that helps. how desperate of me! ignore that and listen to nazneen. i think i'll read ur previous blogs and revive my general knowledge while u take some rest. see, win-win situation!

I read your blog more religiously than some of my work emails :) Jokes apart, writing is your passion and the kick that you get by connecting with blogdosts is definitely worth it -you recently said that. So, why don't have a typist or someone who can help you write. I think people like your views because you are straight in your face without any sugarcoating or political correctness. It is very refreshing. So, give it a thought about writing on blog space. I like this e-kaTTa where so many different topics are discussed by you and other blogdosts. I would hate for it to disappear.

Shobhaa, use voice to text software to save your right hand. Even if your system has to learn a bit of your english pronounciations, its definitely worth it.

Also tell Choudary, that he is a true patriot simply because only one who can sense the pain of 'disintegration' of this country attempted in one and many ways, knows the end result and sure I understand it is painful to even imagine it.

If you are as detailed a reader as me (born on Jan 7th too) you will read upto here and other comments below this too :)

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